Recruitment within the health sector is a little different from other sectors and professions. Physicians can work for a variety of organizations, ranging from small private practices to large hospitals. 

As with many aspects of life, recruiting healthcare professionals is both a science and art. Even the most talented and experienced recruiters can falter at times. A poor recruitment decision results in wasted money and time spent on recruiting and training a new employee, and can demoralize the workforce. 

Depending on the type and size of your healthcare business, you will require different positions to be filled (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians, administrative staff, etc.). 

Mistakes to avoid in healthcare recruitment

1. Lack of Role Clarity 

Organizational culture is the overall perception that an organization has regarding employees, their behaviour and their expectations, and it plays a very significant role in determining whether a candidate would wish to join an organization or not and also whether the candidate would wish to stay with his/her employer. 

Employers who fail to consider culture in their staffing decisions potentially end up putting people in environments they will eventually abandon. This is good advice in any case but especially when hiring for a particular position as one needs to understand the job description. 

This is especially true for healthcare positions, where the need for competency can be critical for the patients’ well-being. You must make sure the potential candidates know the job details and what is expected from them as well. 

Here’s an example of a role summary for a registered nurse from Caring Hands Hospital: 

The positions will include patient care, assistance in procedures, health education of patients and their families, and the registered nurse must have no criminal background to pose risk to patients. 

Another disadvantage of making a rapid hire is that if you decide to ignore missing skills, disregard signals that suggest the candidate is not suitable or dismiss a cultural match then the consequences are expensive in the long run. 

Higher turnover is not beneficial to the staff, patients, families and others, so you need to know a company’s culture to be able to tell the candidate what to expect when joining the company. 

2. Not Being able to Offer a Good Salary Package 

When you are hiring healthcare staff, one of the factors that can attract them is the salary that you are willing to pay. It is likely that you will lose top candidates to other employers who are willing to offer more. 

In order to acquire and build the most talented people, you have to be willing to invest as much as the candidate is worth. Make experience the top factor and link it to the salary scale. In this particular industry, being experienced is something that plays a vital role in the process of choosing the right healthcare option. 

Ensure that you only hire personnel from the health care sector or those who have prior working experience in the health care industry. Always include salary details when posting job offers (even if it’s a range). One should not overlook the need for education and training both in college and after college education. 

It is important to consider both, so you attract people who are willing to grow and develop in the company. When looking for a front desk admin to work for a medical facility, prior experience is preferred, but do not dismiss other experiences as well. 

3. Failure to Ask the Right Questions 

Before you commence the selection process, you need to know what questions to ask in an interview. This will also assist you in determining whether or not they are suitable for the job in question. 

In case of hiring medical personnel, some of the questions you would like to ask the candidate are those that can reveal their level of knowledge, skills, and strengths. 

Here are some common questions: 

• What is your experience in healthcare? How many years have you worked in this field? 
• What education, training and experience do you possess? 
• Could you give me an example of when you faced a challenging patient or a situation in your previous workplace? 
• Do you have any experience in which you had to perform extra duties or more than what was expected of you for a patient? 

This means that your employees should be postured by your values and should have the passion for delivering quality care. 

4. Not Checking References 

References are crucial in the hiring process, but unfortunately, most employers do not verify them. For the healthcare job positions, always make sure that you are conducting thorough scrutiny of all candidates. 

You should also interview the candidate and do a reference check on him/her to get a better understanding of the candidate’s skills and competency. 

Especially in high-risk medical roles like: 

• Physicians 
• Nurses 
• Lab technicians 
• Pharmacists 
• Medical assistants 

One of the biggest blunders that most healthcare recruiters commit is failure to consider internal applicants. Despite the fact that some of the candidates may not necessarily be on the lookout for a new position, focusing on current employees can be less time-consuming and more effective in terms of recruiting the best talent. 

They are already part of the system and they are aware of the organizational culture and standard that should be followed. Spend time searching through these resources, which should ideally be shortened by the amount of time it takes to become productive. 

5. Not Conducting Background Checks 

Another important process that is conducted in the course of the hiring process is background checks. Some organizations do not necessarily undertake background checks for their employees, especially if they have a policy on hiring people with felony records. 

In the medical industry, background checks are common practices that are carried out before hiring employees. If you are hiring healthcare personnel, then it is good to conduct background checks to confirm the identity of the candidates as well as their academic qualifications (a Bachelors’ degree in nursing or a phlebotomist certification etc.). 

It is common to find that in health systems and hospitals there are several people who can have an impact on the hiring process. This is because board members, administrators, medical staff, and other participants can have different perspectives on recruitment depending on their background and other characteristics. 

A survey that involved different members of different healthcare organizations was useful in providing information on how different members in the same organization can have similar and different values on the physician recruitment. 

Conclusion (Mistakes to avoid in healthcare recruitment)

Staying clear from these five mistakes will assist you in hiring healthcare pros effectively. The most important thing is to surround oneself with people who are trustworthy and possess good moral character. 

Loyal workers or employees who take their jobs seriously and are willing to do everything to make the company successful. 

Human capital management is crucial in a healthcare organization so as to ensure that it delivers quality services to the patients, and at the same time, it can meet its business objectives.